


And Turn the White Snow Red as Strawberries in Summertime

by Caledonia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Established Relationship, First Kiss, M/M, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22137331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caledonia/pseuds/Caledonia
Summary: Arthur and Merlin conjure memories of summer while cooped up during a winter storm.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 155
Collections: The Merlin/Arthur Kiss Fest 2019





	And Turn the White Snow Red as Strawberries in Summertime

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the Fleet Foxes song White Winter Hymnal. I hope the mods don't mind my mixing seasons, here. And I hope you enjoy this little story. <3

Merlin and Arthur lay naked beneath blankets and furs, dozing. The fire blazed in the grate, but outside the castle walls, a blizzard raged, bitter and endless. Occasionally the wind would change and the window would rattle, waking one or the other from their slumber, but otherwise their night was peaceful.

Near dawn they woke together, their limbs, both pale and unfairly (still) tanned, tangling in the bedclothes as their fingers and hands and tongues picked up where they had left off. As they continued the slow and studied worship of each other which they had started months before, and planned never to cease. 

Exposed to the air, their bodies chilled quickly, the fire failing to keep pace with the falling temperatures, so they remained in their bower of warmth until late morning when Merlin dressed to quickly fetch some food.

Upon his return Arthur was asleep, his face turned towards the feeble light streaming through the snow-covered window. Although now shivering with cold, Merlin knelt carefully at the edge of the bed, memorising for the thousandth time the exact shape and shadow of his lover's face. Every line was evidence of a smile waiting. Every slight imperfection a memory upon Merlin's fingertips; a marker line of their lives together.

Even in the bleak, frigid winter, Arthur seemed to radiate the light of the sun. He could summon a warm breeze with only a smile, and transport Merlin to a breathless summer night with a whisper.

Unable to stop himself Merlin traced a finger gently along the golden crescent of Arthur's closed eyelashes. A strong, warm hand snaked out from the covers and clasped Merlin's thin wrist as Arthur opened his eyes.

Merlin leaned in for a kiss, his lips parted, and Arthur's mouth was hot against his own. Merlin was sure he could smell lilacs. They separated, Arthur lifting himself up onto an elbow.

"You look far away."

"Do you remember our first kiss?"

"Of course," Arthur replied, tucking a lock of Merlin's hair behind his ear, his fingers pausing to caress the soft skin of Merlin's neck. 

"It was an impossibly hot day, and we'd been hunting."

"You were complaining of being overheated, and I stopped beside a stream to shut you up." 

Arthur smiled crookedly, his gentle, teasing expression so uniquely _Arthur_ that Merlin kissed him again, a soft, fond peck at the corner of his mouth.

"I went to the stream and waded in, my trousers cuffed at my knee. You stood at the side and splashed water on your face."

The image was seared into Merlin's mind forever. Arthur, face and chest dripping, standing half in sunlight, half in the dappled-green shade of an oak tree. The sound of insects trilling in the bushes, a heat-driven stupor heavy on the landscape. 

"The deer," Arthur said, a hand in Merlin's hair.

A hind had come to the edge of the water, only yards away. She was beautiful, and her sides were heaving with the effort of existing on such a hot day. Merlin's eyes had darted from the deer to Arthur, his heart in his throat. He had silently begged Arthur not to kill her - all she wanted was a drink of cool water.

"You didn't even reach for your crossbow," Merlin said, letting Arthur cradle his face in his wide, calloused palm.

When the deer left, Merlin had thrown himself on Arthur quite ungracefully, the dampness of Arthur's chest staining Merlin's tunic a deeper red. He had kissed Arthur without thought because he had been grateful and full of wonder.

"You kissed me," Arthur said, his thumb on Merlin's bottom lip, his focus absolute in this as in all things, and Merlin felt his skin flush, his heart beating faster.

"I kissed you, yes, but it was you kissing me that changed everything."

Merlin had stepped back, embarrassed, stumbling barefoot on the rocks at the water's edge. Arthur had stared at him for an eternity, neither of them daring to breathe. And then Arthur had lunged for Merlin, holding him tightly even as they were propelled into the stream. His lips had found Merlin's in a fierce, uncertain scrabble, his tongue against Merlin's bottom lip; a nervous request and permission granted. They had stood knee-deep in cold water, the full heat of the midday sun upon them, and they had kissed with heedless abandon.

"I remember never wanting to stop," Arthur said, his thumb slipping into Merlin's mouth, "I remember my boots were ruined."

Merlin closed his teeth over the pad of Arthur's thumb, watching Arthur's eyes darken. Merlin no longer felt the cold air around him - he may as well have been back at that stream in that heat, his skin pinked by the burning sun.

"I remember having to lie to your father and invent a summer cold to explain your reluctance to leave your chambers over the following days," Merlin said, rising to shed his clothing.

Arthur laughed richly, the sound low and beautiful and unguarded - Merlin was always grateful for that laugh because it was his alone.

All thoughts of food were forgotten as Merlin joined Arthur upon the bed once more, their legs tangling beneath the blankets, Merlin's fingers and hands and tongue beginning again where they had left off. 

The window rattled as the blizzard continued, the snow falling unheeded. They had no regard for the winter weather because there, between them, it was the hottest day of summer.


End file.
